I am what you might call an audiophile, a person who is passionate about hi-fidelity sound reproduction of music. It all began when I was a kid, listening to records on my mother’s sofa-sized hi-fi console. I’m lucky enough to still own most of Mom’s vinyl collection, which I play from time to time on my own sofa-sized hi-fi that I bought at a garage sale a few years ago for twenty bucks. (Best twenty bucks I ever spent.)
I actually own three record players including one that was handed down to me by my mother-in-law and another by my stepmother. (I used to own a fourth phonograph, a unit that once belonged to my grandparents, but it is now spinning discs in record player heaven—hopefully for my grandparents.)
My Magnavox hi-fi is a model that was produced back in the 1960s, and all four of its original speakers still work well. However, I felt compelled to make a few upgrades. After removing the back panel, I discovered there was plenty of room inside the console to add a few more speakers. So, I added a Bose computer-speaker set which consists of two small satellite speakers and a subwoofer. I connected the Bose set to a small, portable Bluetooth speaker that also hides nicely in the cabinet. I can then use my phone to stream music via the internet through the Bluetooth speaker, into the Bose system hidden within thehi-fi when I want to listen to something I don’t own on vinyl.
For good measure, I later connected a pair of RCA bookshelf speakers to the Magnavox unit to give the phonograph and radio a fuller sound. The end result is a retro hi-fi unit with modern upgrades and fantastic sound quality. Because the Bose and RCA speakers were given to me by friends who didn’t have a use for them anymore, the total cost of my hi-fi is still just $20. (For reference, just yesterday I ran across a website selling brand-new, retro-looking, Bluetooth-enabled, hi-fi units similar to mine for $10,999.)
Behind our house, in our detached shop where my mother-in-law’s record player resides, I connected two hi-wattage stereo receivers together to power ten two-way and three-way speakers that were also given to me by friends who were downsizing their home-stereo systems in favor of compact soundbars and wireless Bluetooth speakers. The resulting decibel level is so high that I have yet to turn the volume knob past halfway for fear of giving myself (and the neighbors) permanent hearing damage.
For years, I have been a man in possession of multiple record players living in a community without a record store. But not anymore. You might have noticed that Ashland has been blessed with a brand-new business venture, an honest-to-goodness record store called King Theodore Records, operating in a cozy and well-adorned side-room within Century Tattoo.
I stopped by during the store’s grand opening on July 17th and was thrilled to see a large number of music lovers gathered to listen to live music and peruse the hundreds of records offered for sale by owner Jesse Slade. When I walked through the saloon doors and into the record store wearing my Blues Brothers t-shirt, the first record I saw on display was an original copy of the Blues Brothers’ 1978 album “Briefcase Full of Blues”. Naturally, I snatched it up immediately.
I took a few minutes to look the rest of the shop over, marveling over the diverse and rich offering of new and vintage vinyl and a few high-quality receivers and turntables, then I took my selection to the register where Jesse greeted me warmly. He loved the fact that I was wearing a shirt that matched my purchase and asked if he could take my picture to post on his social media accounts. Of course I said yes, never being one to shy away from the spotlight. I promised Jesse that I would return again soon and wished him the best of luck with his new venture.
I think it is very, very cool that our small town has a record store. And a tattoo shop. And the Mid-Missouri Arts Alliance. And several great, locally-owned restaurants. And a farmer’s market. And an auto parts store. And a hardware store. And a grocery store. And an independent newspaper. And great schools. And a YMCA. And a library. And service-oriented civic organizations. And churches. And many, many more things going for it that most small towns only wish they had. Ashland, Missouri, always proud of its agricultural heritage, is also becoming a haven for artists, artisans, athletes, academics, and audiophiles.
Stop by King Theodore Records soon, and do what you can to support all of Ashland’s wonderful, locally-owned and operated businesses. And listen for the loudest home stereo system you’ve ever heard in your life blasting classic vinyl from somewhere deep in the woods west of town.
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